‘We Will Head To Court’ – Nwoko Rejects APC Primaries

Senator Ned Nwoko has vowed to challenge the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary in Delta North, insisting that he won the exercise.

Naija News reports that Nwoko rejected the declaration of former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as the winner of the primary.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, the senator alleged that the results announced did not reflect the actual votes cast at the ward level.

Nwoko said midway into the primary, party officials directed that results should not be announced at the ward level.

According to him, the instruction was that results should be collated and announced later at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

Nwoko stated, “We have submitted them. Halfway through the primary, we got a message on our phones that no results should be announced at the ward level, that they should be collected and then announced later at the national in Abuja.

“And so, we thought we’d be law-abiding. Suddenly, we saw some news. We saw only that one video of one of the wards in Ika North East.”

The senator questioned the credibility of the result announced from the ward captured in the video.

He alleged that the turnout shown in the video did not match the figure later declared.

“It was just one video, showing three people in a line, and then the rest, who were probably not more than 500. That’s what I saw in the video. Although in the result, they said there were 5,000,” he stated.

Nwoko said only one ward video had been made public and challenged party officials to release evidence from the remaining wards.

“The video that you saw, where Ifeanyi Okowa was announced as the winner, was just one video from one ward out of 98 wards. Maybe they should show us other videos. They must show us the figures,” he insisted.

‘We’ll Head To Litigation’

Nwoko said he would not accept any outcome that contradicted what he described as the genuine mandate of party members.

“I wouldn’t accept it because I have a mandate. I have a mandate by the people. We will head towards litigation,” he said.

Despite the dispute, the senator said he would not work against the APC.

“I’m not going to say I’m going to work against the party; I’m going to work for the party. But I can assure you of this: I’m sure that the President will intervene in this matter,” he said.

Nwoko said his camp had submitted results and video evidence from all 98 wards in the senatorial district.

“We have submitted the results from the 98 wards, with the videos. I’m not worried. I’m not thinking about working against the party, and I wouldn’t do that because of the interest of the people that make up the party, the masses,” he added.

Speaking on APC politics in Delta State, Nwoko alleged that legacy members of the party had been sidelined following the defection of former PDP members into the ruling party.

“The President knows what’s happening in Delta. He knows that the legacy APC members have been shoved aside by the new PDP guys that came into the party. He knows that they control the party. He knows that there are fundamental problems in Delta,” Nwoko said.

He further alleged that earlier assurances on restructuring the party leadership in the state were not implemented.

“We were assured that there would be some power-sharing formula. We were even told, for example, that the state EXCO would be dissolved and that there would be nominations to enable the old APC to get a foothold into the government. But that was never done,” he alleged.

Nwoko insisted that he would not concede defeat.

He said that although he did not expect to win every ward, he was confident he secured the majority of votes in the primary.

“No, I would not concede. Because I was there. If you have the evidence, I have the video. We won the primary. I couldn’t have won his ward. That would be foolhardy of me to think I would win his ward. But the majority? Of course, yes,” he said.